The present invention relates to a method for displaying multi-screens in a video color printer, and particularly to a method for taking a close-up of a core screen by automatic strobing in displayable and printable multi-screens by momentarily seizing multi-screens at a continued pace, taking advantage of 13 screens and automatic strobing function but largely seizing the core screen being the last picture among the 13 screens in memorizing and printing multi-screens.
The term "video printer" usually refers to a device which stores video signals in a memory such as a field memory, or a frame memory, by converting the video signals into digital signals, and prints a picture represented by those stored digital signals. Specifically, video printer devices are being developed for recording selected portions of the video signals or for printing pictures reproduced on a monitor which were recorded with a device such as a still camera.
Multi-screens comprising nine pictures such as in FIG. 3 are formed and displayed on a monitor 40 from video data recorded in the video memory part 20 in a conventional system such as FIG. 1. The video data is displayed in each region of FIG. 3 in response to the RD/WR control signal of FIG. 2 generated by the read/write signal generation part 50 and the address signal generated by the address signal generation part 110 which are each received by the video memory part 20. The video data supplied from the video memory 20 is encoded in the encoder 30 and then displayed on the monitor 40.
Now, a more detailed explanation will be given with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. When a user inputs a multi key, a step key, a time setting key and a strobe key in sequential order with the key input device 70, the microcomputer 60 recognizes the key input with a key processing routine. For instance, the step key is a sequential multi-screen selection key, the memory key functions to record and display pictures in the nine divided regions of the displayed image every time it is selected and the strobe key controls formation of the, multi-screen continuously. When nine screens are selected with the step key, signals indicative of the nine screen selection are supplied through the ports P2-P4. Since there are three ports, in 6 to different multi-screen modes may be indicated. For instance multi-screen modes in which 1, 4, 9, 13, 16 and 25 mode screens are simultaneously displayed are possible with different combinations of signals on the three ports. The multi-screen setting part 80 controls an address setting part 100 and a sequential-screen setting part 90 in response to which of the six multi-screen modes is indicated. Here, let it be assumed that the multi-screen setting part 80 received signals indicative of a multi-screen mode with nine pictures. At this time, the multi-screen setting part 80 controls the address setting part 100 and the sequential screen selection part 90. The sequential screen selection part 90 generates first point data, namely, PT1-PT9, for a divided screen as shown in FIG. 3. When the first point data from the sequential screen selection part 90 for each screen of multi-screens and the 9-screen dividing information of multi-screens setting part 80 are inputted to the address setting part 100, addresses are generated for each point of the divided screen as shown in FIG. 3 so as to 9 become a number designating signal in the video memory part 20.
For example, when it becomes PTn(mo)=PT1(0,0), pt2(0.3), PT3(0.6) . . . PT9(9.0) in FIG. 3, the sequential screen selection part 90 generates m, n values. The m, n values and multi 9 screen selection information of the multi-screen setting part 80 are provided to the address setting part 100, the address setting party 100 decodes and provides first addresses to the address signal generation part 110. The address signal generation part 110 increments the first addresses, beginning with the of the sequential screen selection part 90, and provides the incremented addresses to the video memory part 20 to access the digital video stored in the data video data input part 10 according to the read/write signal generation part 50.
According to the output signal of the address setting part 100, the address signal generation part 110 increases the addresses sequentially so that video data received through the video data input part 10 is stored in corresponding parts of the divided video memory part 20 of FIG. 3.
On the other hand, a read/write signal RD/WR is generated by the read/write signal generation part 50 shown in FIG. 2 and provided to the video memory part 20 when a memory enable signal ME from the microcomputer 60 is generated as shown in FIG. 2 and provided to the read/write signal generation part 50. If the step key is selected at this time, the memory enable signal ME is generated by the microcomputer 60 each time the step key is selected and the first point designating signal is generated by the sequential screen selection part 90 in response to the control of multi-screen setting part 80 and 9 screens are thereby formed in sequential order. When the strobe key is inputted, the signal is automatically generated at a continued pace and formed into 9 screens. And, when the video memory part 20 reads/writes the video data received from the video data input part 10 according to each divided region of FIG. 3, a write mode is enabled for each video in response to a low level of the read/write signal RD/WR in FIG. 2 and records the video data according to the address signal supplied from the address signal generation part 110 and then enables a read mode in response to high levels of the read/write signal. The read data is displayed to the monitor 40 after being encoded in the encoder 30.
Therefore, in order to process the video data inputted through the video data input part 10 in the video memory part 20, it is decisively controlled by the outputs of read/write control part 50 and address signal generation part 110. The accessing velocity of the video memory part 20 is determined by the set time of keyboard part 70 inputted to the microcomputer 60.
The above-described video printer has been disclosed in patent application No. 4467/1989 on Apr. 4, 1989 in Korea by the present applicant.
As described hereinabove, it has been heretofore possible to display continuous momentary actions fragmentarily or automatically with a memory key or a strobe key but, when a user intends to momentarily display or print, for example, a golf swing of a golf player or a baseball game, it is difficult for a user to momentarily display a desired posture in one screen among multi-screens because set time is designated to one and it is also difficult for him to distinguish one from another because the desired picture is small in size.